The late Oliver Mtukudzi’s love child Memory who hails from Bulawayo said she was unwanted and shunned when she attended her father’s funeral.

In an interview with Sunday News Memory claims she was on the receiving end of abuse by some relatives.

“When he passed on it was a Wednesday. So I went to Harare on a Thursday and when I got there a lot of people had already gathered. I couldn’t find anyone willing to welcome me. So I was taken to a private room and that’s when they asked if I’m memory from Bulawayo and I said yes I was.

“The person that caused me the most pain during the funeral called me when I was sitting outside with other mourners and said Memo you now want to be known by people after you had been abusing my nephew when he was alive, I can make sure that you don’t even go to the body viewing ceremony or even be there when he is buried. I didn’t reply her. She said I should behave myself because they didn’t want children from the bush,” she said.

After being told that she might not be allowed to bury her father, Memory had to think on her feet as she realised that she would not be able to bid her father farewell if she wallowed in sadness.

When I went outside the other aunts asked me why I was crying and I told them that there was someone that was bothering me saying that I will not be able to bury my father. That woman had shouted at me and said they don’t want children of prost_itutes at the funeral. That’s when there came some buses that were taking people from Pakare Paye to the stadium.

After the funeral speculation was rife, as many wondered who would get what from Tuku’s estate. As one of the alleged five illegitimate children she counted at the funeral, Memory only took a shirt and a straw hat from his many belongings.

“I was there when people were giving out his clothes and they said his children should come and get his stuff. Some people were putting stuff in bags and Selmor was there too and I said I wasn’t interested in the clothes but she said I needed to get something and that’s when I took one shirt and put it in my bag. Then my son said that he wanted his straw hat and that’s when I got up and went to get it as well.

“Afterwards the most senior aunts got up and said that since my father was a travelling man, he had children that were not yet known to the family and so they needed to be welcomed home. Then another aunt got up to complained and said that they couldn’t just accept everyone who walked through the door claiming to be a part of the family. I counted four of us. I remember Felix, Clive and Kelvin. They are from different areas but I was the one that was a bit known,” she said.

Memory emerged in 2015 and claimed that Mtukudzi was her father.

Her mother and Tuku’s affair ended when she was five years old. Her mother, Barbara Siziba, passed away when Memory was eight years old.